Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Wednesday,11 September, said that to provide free health services to poor people, the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) would be implemented in "mission mode" by revising the tariffs of various health services in government hospitals.
"The Tripura government would execute the PMJAY on mission mode by revising the tariffs of various health services in government hospitals to provide free, quality and affordable treatment facilities in the state," the chief minister told media persons here amidst the opposition parties' stir on the issue.
"The opposition parties without hearing the government opinion on the issue and without studying the government's decision properly, have started hue and cry to acquire the political mileage," he said.
Criticising the Left leaders, Deb, who also holds the health portfolio, said that during the Left Front government rule in the state, even poor people categorised under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) had not been provided free healthcare.
"Compared to the rates of health services during the Left Front regime, in the provisional revision of tariffs tentatively planned, 35 to 50 per cent charges of health services have been reduced.”
Owing to the partisan and faulty economic census conducted under Left Front rule 84,000 families comprising 3.50 lakh people have been excluded.
He said that due to the haphazard management of the health department by the previous Left Front government, the health directorate and various hospitals have debts of over Rs 51 crore for purchasing medicines and other medical treatment related items.
He said that out of Tripura's 37 lakh population, only 4.87 lakh people have so far enrolled their names in the PMJAY, against the eligible number of 20.57 lakh people.
Strongly criticising the government's move, the Congress, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and other opposition parties launched agitations from Monday for withdrawing the new tariffs.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, former Chief Minister and opposition leader Manik Sarkar and former Health Minister and deputy opposition leader Badal Choudhury have urged the state government to withdraw the increased charges.
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